Erstes Wolkenradar im All
Verfasst: Fr 28. Apr 2006, 18:54
Hier eine Mitteilung der WMO:
"FIRST CLOUD RADAR IN SPACE:
MILESTONE FOR METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATE RESEARCH
GENEVA 28 APRIL 2006 – WMO: Today’s dual launch of the CloudSat and CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) satellites at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is expected to plug a significant gap in the scientific ability to observe the atmosphere and monitor climate evolution. Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Mr Michel Jarraud said: “This is a milestone event for the sciences of meteorology and climatology, the WMO community at large and a tribute to international cooperation. We expect that data gathered by CloudSat, CALIPSO and other modern satellites will prompt significant progress in the comprehension and forecast of weather events as well as the formulation of scenarios for climate evolution.”
CloudSat carries the first cloud radar (1 000 times more sensitive than standard weather radar) launched into space, enabling for the first time, global surveys of cloud profiles and properties including seasonal and geographical variations. The satellite will also provide data about the production and distribution of rain, snow and clouds, important information for the improvement of climate models. CALIPSO possesses a unique set of instruments, including lidar (a complex laser system), which can distinguish between cloud and airborne particles (aerosols) and will lead to a better understanding of aerosol transport and how the climate functions. Both NASA satellites will be joining a series of three others, already in orbit, to form the first multi-satellite observatory for meteorology and climatology.
Understanding and monitoring clouds with adequate precision has been one of the major obstacles in atmospheric observation and the capability to model and predict climate evolution. Atmospheric scientists, cloud and climate modelers at WMO and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP – co-sponsored by WMO, the International Council for Science and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) have been working for ten years to prepare for these missions and to be able to process resulting observations. Ultimately the data will be inserted into advanced atmospheric and climate models used to improve quality and precision of weather and climate predictions.
CloudSat is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the satellite’s scientific team involves experts from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, UK and US. CALIPSO was built jointly by NASA and France’s Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales; the mission is led by NASA's Langley Research Center."
Gruess,
Christoph
"FIRST CLOUD RADAR IN SPACE:
MILESTONE FOR METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATE RESEARCH
GENEVA 28 APRIL 2006 – WMO: Today’s dual launch of the CloudSat and CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) satellites at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is expected to plug a significant gap in the scientific ability to observe the atmosphere and monitor climate evolution. Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Mr Michel Jarraud said: “This is a milestone event for the sciences of meteorology and climatology, the WMO community at large and a tribute to international cooperation. We expect that data gathered by CloudSat, CALIPSO and other modern satellites will prompt significant progress in the comprehension and forecast of weather events as well as the formulation of scenarios for climate evolution.”
CloudSat carries the first cloud radar (1 000 times more sensitive than standard weather radar) launched into space, enabling for the first time, global surveys of cloud profiles and properties including seasonal and geographical variations. The satellite will also provide data about the production and distribution of rain, snow and clouds, important information for the improvement of climate models. CALIPSO possesses a unique set of instruments, including lidar (a complex laser system), which can distinguish between cloud and airborne particles (aerosols) and will lead to a better understanding of aerosol transport and how the climate functions. Both NASA satellites will be joining a series of three others, already in orbit, to form the first multi-satellite observatory for meteorology and climatology.
Understanding and monitoring clouds with adequate precision has been one of the major obstacles in atmospheric observation and the capability to model and predict climate evolution. Atmospheric scientists, cloud and climate modelers at WMO and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP – co-sponsored by WMO, the International Council for Science and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) have been working for ten years to prepare for these missions and to be able to process resulting observations. Ultimately the data will be inserted into advanced atmospheric and climate models used to improve quality and precision of weather and climate predictions.
CloudSat is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the satellite’s scientific team involves experts from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, UK and US. CALIPSO was built jointly by NASA and France’s Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales; the mission is led by NASA's Langley Research Center."
Gruess,
Christoph
